Nashville Opera presents favorite son at the Noah Liff Opera Center on January 21-22-23 to open the 2021/22 season. This is the premiere of a popular opera that will be sung in English. Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva plays The Doctor – one of four roles. favorite son is directed by John Hoomes, sung in English with projected English lyrics.

The world premiere of folk opera favorite son marks Nashville Opera’s second collaboration with Grammy Award-winning Nashville songwriter Marcus Hummon. Drawing on the experiences of the composer’s own life, the poignant favorite son journey through a man’s memories to find the essence of truth.

Cast members include Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, seen in the first opera film last fall A vote won as a doctor; Emma Grimsley as Kate, who ran the North American touring company of The Phantom of the Opera as Christine until it closed in February 2020; Singer, songwriter, session musician and four-time Grammy nominee Darrell Scott makes his Nashville Opera main stage debut as Father Coach; and popular crossover tenor and minor league baseball player John Riesen, who makes his Nashville Opera main stage debut as Chris.

Music and libretto for favorite son are by Marcus Hummon. Along with Top 40 singles from Tim McGraw, Wynonna Judd and Alabama, Hummon has three No. 1 country hits to date: The Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away”, Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly” and the Rascal Flatts version of “Bless the Broken Road,” which won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2006.

Representations of favorite son are Friday, January 21, 8:00 p.m.; Saturday January 22, 8 p.m.; and Sunday, January 23 at 3:00 p.m. at the Noah Liff Opera Center, located at 3622 Redmon Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37209. Ticket prices start at just $15.00.

Schedule the two remaining shows of Nashville Opera’s 2021/22 season now, based on established classics.

by Verdi Rigoleto Black will run Thursday, April 7 and Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. John Hoomes’ long-awaited film noir staging of Verdi’s revenge classic, starring Kevin Thompson as Sparafucile in his debut on the main stage of the Nashville Opera House, puts an edgy film-noir spin on the story while letting Verdi’s music pack its original punch! Spoiler alert: Verdi uses what is arguably the most famous tune on the planet to serve up the plot’s most bitter twist! Conducted by John Hoomes with music by Giuseppe Verdi, with the Nashville Opera Orchestra and Ensemble conducted by Dean Williamson. Sung in Italian with English tracks screened at Andrew Jackson Hall, TPAC.

by Wagner Das Rheingold closes the season on Friday May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday May 8 at 3 p.m. The definition of epic! This long, intense act draws inspiration from Norse mythology and German folklore to weave a story of gods, monsters, and an epic heist of precious gold. An unforgettable Wagnerian experience at Belmont University’s beautiful new Performing Arts Center. This performance marks the return of the phenomenal Lester Lynch as Wotan, also featuring the superb Othalie Graham as Freia; and the talented Gwendolyn Brown as Erda in her Nashville Opera main stage debut. Directed by John Hoomes, Music by Richard Wagner with the Nashville Opera Orchestra conducted by Dean Williamson, sung in German with English titles screened at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets for all three events are available online at nashvilleopera.org or by calling 615-832-5242.

The Nashville Opera House’s current guest entry policy requires guests 6 and older to wear a mask and guests 12 and older to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a PCR test or negative COVID-19 antigen administered by a medical professional within 3 days (72 hours) of the date of execution. For more details and updated Nashville Opera health protocols, visit nashvilleopera.org/patron-safety.